• The British royal family has released Christmas cards since the early 20th century.
  • King Charles III and Queen Camilla select a photo for the card depicting a special moment from the past year.
  • Prince William and Prince Harry often share family photos in their annual Christmas cards.

Christmas cards are a beloved holiday tradition, and even the world’s royal families get in on the fun. Every year, King Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, are among those who release Christmas card photos commemorating all that’s happened in the year. These pictures range from formal photoshoots to candid snaps offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at their lives beyond their titles.

The cards are completed with cheerful inscriptions, offering good tidings and well wishes for the year ahead. Royals can choose whether or not to sign with their titles—or skip the signature altogether, as William and wife Kate Middleton did in 2024. That year, the Prince and Princess of Wales used a picture from the video Kate shared in September 2024, announcing she had completed chemotherapy treatment for cancer. The sweet snap showed the family smiling side by side in Norfolk, per People, where they have a country home.

Royal Christmas cards sent by Princess Diana to her childhood housekeeper, Violet Collison.

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Christmas cards are a tradition dating back to the early 19th century—the Royal Collection Trust even has handmade cards from Queen Victoria’s children. The practice of sending out official holiday cards featuring a favorite family photograph began later—with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Motherh, and continues today. 

Below, look back at the best royal Christmas cards of all time.

1942: Princess Elizabeth

A Christmas card from Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) to the Grenadier Guards in 1942.

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In 1942, a 16-year-old Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) starred in a meaningful Christmas card sent to the Grenadier Guards. It included a quote from a speech she gave on her 16th birthday, expressing that she would “do all in my power to uphold and foster the great traditions of the regiment which I have already learned to love.” The message’s tone was one of encouragement, uplifting the spirits of service members in the midst of World War II.

1972: Queen Elizabeth and Philip

A 1972 Christmas card from the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh is displayed on August 28, 2023.

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The 1972 greeting from Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip, then-Duke of Edinburgh, featured a simple message of best wishes for Christmas and the New Year, flanked by the couple’s royal seals. Although the picture accompanying the card is absent in this photograph, it was put up for auction in 2023 alongside a 1966 souvenir program for the Royal Household Social Club.

1987: Prince Charles and Princess Diana

A 1987 Christmas Card signed by Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

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A 5-year-old Prince William and 3-year-old Prince Harry make early appearances in this 1987 royal Christmas card, featuring Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The family coordinated in all-white outfits for the picture, although Diana—known for her statement sweaters—donned a top with black sequin appliques in an abstract celestial design.

2000s: Charles, William, and Harry

A 2000s Christmas card featuring Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry.

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Sometime in the 2000s, Prince Charles selected this photo of himself and his two young sons seated on a log as the year’s Christmas card image. The rustic snap demonstrates the more casual nature of royal Christmas tidings over the years, as the picture could pass for anyone’s on your mantel. A copy sold at auction for £210 in 2017.

2019: Charles and Camilla

The 2019 Christmas card of Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

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2019 may have marked the first time a car was the centerpiece of the royal Christmas card. That year, Charles and Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, chose a photo of themselves driving a vintage MG TD during a tour of Cuba. They were the first British royals to make an official visit to the country, per the BBC.

2021: Prince William and Princess Kate

Prince William, Princess Kate, and their children in a family Christmas card photo shared in 2021.

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William and wife Kate released their 2021 Christmas card photo on Instagram, revealing it had a special tie to the Princess’s childhood. The photo was taken that year on a private family trip to Jordan, a country where Kate spent two years living while her father worked for British Airways, per People. Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George are all smiles alongside their parents as they pose in front of a rocky canyon.